Fixer-upper
"Fixer upper" was frequently used in the 1930s to mean a person who fixes things up. In the 1940s, houses that needed work were advertised -- at presumed lower prices -- for these…
Flip Tax
The "flip tax" is also called the "transfer tax." It started in the 1970s, with the co-op apartment boom. People who sold or "flipped" their co-ops would have to pay a…
Freedom Tower (or, Pataki’s Pit)
"Freedom Tower" was coined by New York Governor George Pataki in April 2003. It's the building that is planned to replace the World Trade Center towers, destroyed on September 11,…
Fryscraper (fry + skyscraper)
A "fryscraper" (fry + skyscraper) is a tall building that reflects the sun's heat, "frying" objects at a certain distance away from it. In 2013, the building under…
Garden Apartment
The Queensboro Corporation developed the country's first "garden apartments" in Jackson Heights in the 1910s. The corporation's founder and director was E. A. MacDougall. A…
Ghostbusters Building (55 Central Park West)
55 Central Park West has no formal building name, but it's called the "Ghostbusters Building" after the popular film comedy. Ghostbusters (1984) called the building "Spook…
Gingerbread House (Bay Ridge, Brooklyn)
The "Gingerbread House" (also called the "Hansel and Gretel Cottage" or "House of the Seven Dwarfs"), at 8220 Narrows Avenue and 83rd Street in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn,…
Glass Zoo (United Nations Building)
"Glass Zoo" is a nickname for the United Nations' glass headquarters in New York City, used by R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr., in a 2005 story about John Bolton, the United States…
Glittering Grotto in the Sky (530 East 72nd Street)
The 3,200-square foot, 4-bedroom penthouse at 530 East 72nd Street was owned by Frank Sinatra from 1961 to 1972, where he held many famous parties. Artist Andy Warhol dubbed it a "glittering…
Global Billionaires Club (One57)
One57 is a 75-story (1,004 feet) Manhattan residential building at 167 West 57th Street. Apartments were pre-purchased for large sums of money; many of the purchasers were billionaires. While still…
God Box (Interchurch Center)
The Interchurch Center is a 19-story granite-faced building (opened in 1960) at 475 Riverside Drive and West 10th Street in Manhattan. The building is home to many Christian organizations, such as…
God’s Dorm (St. Ann’s Church facade and NYU dorm)
New York University built a 26-story dorm at 12th Street (off Fourth Avenue) in 2008-2009. The facade of St, Ann's Church (built in the 1840s) was kept; the real estate blog Curbed.com called…
Gracie Mansion
Gracie Mansion is the home of the mayor of New York City. If the mayor desires to live there, that is. Sometimes, the mayor is a billionaire and lives elsewhere....The history of Gracie Mansion is…
Great Lawn (Central Park)
"The Great Lawn" in Central Park was not always there. It was designed and added in 1931. Today, the Parks Department is trying to protect the grass by limiting the Great Lawn's use.…
Great Stone Toilet Bowl (Guggenheim Museum)
The Simon R. Guggenheim Museum, at 1071 Fifth Avenue, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) and completed just after his death. The design of the museum caused much controversy. Reactions…
Green Giant (Condé Nast building at 4 Times Square)
The Condé Nast building at 4 Times Square in Manhattan has been called the "green giant" (since 1997; the building opened in 1999) because of energy-efficient or "green"…
Ground Zero Mosque
In 2009, the Cordoba House (a proposed mosque and Islamic cultural center) was planned for the former Burlington Coat Factory building, two blocks away from "Ground Zero." Many people…
Guantanamo on the Hudson (Little Gitmo) or Club Med on the Hudson (Pier 57)
Arrests were made during the 2004 Republican National Convention. Some (by no means all) protesters were arrested and taken to Pier 57 -- a place some called "Guantanamo on the Hudson"…
Hall of Fame for Great Americans
New York City has a Hall of Fame, the first one in the country. It's the Hall of Fame for Great Americans, opened in 1901, on the campus of what is now Bronx Community College. Few people…
Hangman’s Elm or Hanging Tree (English Elm in Washington Square Park)
The Hangman's Elm or Hanging Tree is the elm in the northwest corner of Washington Square Park. It's said to be over 300 years old. It is also said that several hangings occurred from…